New Beginning
by adventurous
Summary: Okay, so what if Bella didn’t stop her yearly visits to Charlie? What if instead she was in Forks on holiday a few months before she moved?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Okay, so what if Bella didn't stop her yearly visits to Charlie? What if instead she went to Forkson holiday a few months before she moved?**

**AN: This was just a little plot idea I had, so please let me know what you think and if I should continue.**

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**Bella POV**

Charlie left in the cruiser, waving to me at the window. I waved back though I doubt he saw me through the thick torrents of rain bouncing off the streets. Sighing I made my way into the kitchen to rustle up as good a breakfast as I could, with Charlie's limited cooking supplies. I was determined to eat something other than toast for once. I'd get enough of that when I moved there. 

I tried to convince myself it won't be so bad. I'd still miss Renee, of course. But I'd get to know Charlie better, and give Phil and Renee some space. I could tell she doesn't want me to have to go but I had to. I didn't want to hamper them, besides it was about time I got to know my own father. Although it would be hard to call him Dad instead of 'Charlie' which he doesn't like. Still, at least I don't call him Chucky. 

A quick rummage through the cupboards revealed that it was a choice between toast or going out into the cold wet weather to walk to the shops. Glaring, I tugged on my waterproof jacket. The bread sat laughing at me on the table. I glanced once more at the window, wondering whether it really was such a good idea, walking to the shop in the pouring rain when there was a loaf of bread just waiting there… I groan and grab a slice of bread and shove it roughly in the toaster only to discover there wasn't any butter. Instead I reached for the jam, the non-existent jam. Dammit, I would have to go out into the flood falling from the sky. 

I tripped half way to the front door, over a few boxes of my things for when I moved here later, before deciding to give up and just go out the back. I should have known my own luck better, for as soon as I stepped out the door hailstones rained down, bouncing off my head, leaving stinging patches on my skin. Running as best as I could through the slippery mud I raced for shelter under the trees which led into the forest. As I reached the shelter of the trees I seriously began to wish I hadn't come this way. 

Under the trees it was dark. It was bad enough with the clouds in the sky but in here there was so little light I had difficulty seeing even a foot in front of me. I turned around to look back at the house but a sudden flash of white appeared in the corner of my eye. I whirled around, my heart thudding angrily against my chest as though fighting to be free. 

_What the hell was that?_

I stumbled blindly in a panic further into the trees, not caring where I was going as long as it was putting distance between me and that frighteningly fast creature. A root snaked around my foot, bringing me crashing to the muddy forest floor. I threw my hands in front of my face as I landed with a soft thud in the wild grass. The dark leaves prevented any water dripping onto me, and for that I was thankful. The lack of light, on the other hand, I wasn't quite so crazy about. Breathing heavily into the long strands of grass irritating my nose, I stayed flat on the ground listening to my pulse throbbing in my neck, joined by heart. 

Suddenly a loud roar of pain erupted in the distance, making my heart freeze in shock before doubling its erratic pace. What caused that? The hairs on my arms pricked up as I slowly rolled over. Whatever animal made that noise was in serious pain and I had no plans to be joining in as back up wailer. An unnatural wind blew threw through the trees ruffling strands of loose hair as I stood up. Cautiously, I made my way over to a fallen tree. I shuffled along it until I had my back against it but could see in every direction. It might be easy to be pinned against but at least I didn't have to worry about something jumping out from behind. 

Thumbing a rough leaf nervously, I strained my ears to hear if anything was coming. Silence… until a twig snapped. It was the last push my nerves needed to send me fleeing. I raced through the trees, my usually clumsy feet fighting desperately to stay upright as I made it through the forest, an occasional trickle of water dripping down my back making me shiver at the unexpected touch.

My lungs heaved painfully as they struggled to take in oxygen. Finally, when I thought I couldn't go any further without collapsing I saw a flicker of daylight at the threshold separating me from the safety of home. I ran towards it, gulping in fresh breaths of relief as I dragged a hand across my flushed clammy face.

Once I was in the fine drizzle of the rain with only clouds to see, it was hard to imagine that a bunch of trees had made me so frightened, that I had been so intensely afraid. I took deep steadying breaths as I looked into the penetrating darkness of the woods. Surely there's nothing in there to be afraid of? At worst a couple of hairy spiders, but not anything too dangerous… just as the self assuring thought crossed my mind a flock of birds took to the sky, screeching as they went. Okay… maybe it was just bad timing. But then a sound like thunder echoed around me and I decided not to risk it. With goose bumps raised on my arms I splashed through the puddles to the back door.

All of a sudden, dry toast didn't sound that bad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I'm gonna keep going with this but I'm warning you now I don't know how long/short this is going to be. As for the plot… we'll just have to see where that goes. Sorry for the delay, hope you keep reading.**

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Bella POV

People stared as I carried the shopping basket around the store, clutched tightly in my clammy hands. I kept my eyes trained firmly on the treacherously slippery floor that squeaked with every step.

The curious eyes followed me. No doubt the news was already flying around Forks that the lonely Chief Swan's daughter would be returning in a couple of weeks at long last. The small town would take some getting used to, especially the heavy rain, whose pounding was blocked out by the store's thick roof. The familiarity of the mundane task and store almost made me feel like I was home.

I had no doubt that Phil would make Renee happy and look after her. It would be strange not to have to remember where she'd left her keys, pay the bills or make sure there was food in the fridge. I knew I'd miss her but I could see the sacrifice in her eyes when she had realised she couldn't't be with Phil while I was there, which was why I'd exiled myself to Forks, a place I loathed and detested.

The bright lights above my head cast shadows on the floor and I didn't see the cylindrical obstacle on the floor. One minute I was on my feet, the next I was rolling on a tin can that carried me over to the wall, my arms flailing as I struggled to maintain any amount of balance. A battle which I lost, which wasn't exactly surprising. I crashed into the solid wall and bounced straight back off, slamming onto the hard floor with my head cracking off it. I could already feel the bruises forming under the skin.

An overweight woman standing above me gasped and I struggled to sit upright but a firm pair of hands forced me back down, instructing me not to move. A wave of dizziness washed over me as a smell reached my nose, which I wrinkled in disgust. Raising a hand to my head I pulled it back to reveal a sticky red palm. Ugh. I started to feel distinctly sick as another wave of dizziness overcame me, joined by black dots that formed in front of my eyes.

Vaguely I noticed the pain that pulsed and throbbed in my head and down the side I had landed on. As someone helped into a sitting position, despite the murmurs of disagreement from the gathering crowd, another whiff of blood reached my over sensitive nose. I tried hard to breathe through my mouth but panic made me hyperventilate, which was not helped by someone announcing that an ambulance was on its way. Typical. I hadn't even officially moved in and already I was going to become familiar with Forks' A&E department. By now, the blood was trickling down my face and with a sigh I surrendered to the darkness that was calling me.

On the way to the hospital I drifted in and out of consciousness. No doubt the news would reach Charlie soon enough that his daughter was in hospital. Hopefully he wouldn't be too concerned after all, it wasn't exactly unusual for me to fall over. The fourth time I regained consciousness it was in a brightly lit hospital ward that reeked of disinfectant. With a thudding head that I realised had been bandaged up and possibly stitched, I glanced around noticing the nurse hovering at the foot of the bed checking my notes. Glancing up, she noticed I was awake.

"Don't worry, Dr. Cullen will be along in a minute. He'll just go over a few things,' she said reassuringly. I just nodded sagging against the pillows.

"Hello Isabella, I'm Dr. Cullen," said a smiling man who could have passed for a movie star. My first thought was that he was too young to be a doctor. His blond hair shone under the fluorescent lights, his extremely pale skin tainted only by the purple bruise like shadows beneath his golden eyes, giving him the appearance of being tired.

Picking up my chart, he moved to my side with a gracefulness I have never managed to achieve.

"You've had some stitches in your head so you'll have to come back next week to have them removed. I'd recommend some painkillers if you feel uncomfortable."

I shake my head, protesting "It's not that bad. Can I go home now?" I was already eager to leave the hospital.

"Yes," chuckled Dr. Cullen, giving my head one last glance. "But take it easy for a few days."

I just nodded, whilst thinking of all the shopping I'd left back in the supermarket.

Signing my chart with a flourish, Dr. Cullen declared me 'free to go'. I hopped down from the bed swaying only slightly, though that still earned me a concerned frown. I waved a hand dismissively, as I eagerly wobbled my way down the corridor where I noticed Charlie was waiting. Charlie rose up to give me a seat while he asked Dr. Cullen a few questions that didn't take long.

On the road home in the police cruiser Charlie broke the comfortable silence by announcing he had enrolled me at Forks local high school. A twinge of unease fluttered in my stomach. I'd be starting there in two weeks which was my official move in date, although it might have to be brought forward to get the stitches removed, a task which I was not looking forward to. Though starting at a new school with only a drop of students came pretty close on the 'the things to dread' list.

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Please review and let me know what you think. I'm really sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. Thanks again to the people who reviewed the last one:

**yerosmyhero, Crazily Sane Pancake, mrs edward cullenxxx, AllyR, footballgirl535, and Luvntwilight.**


	3. Chapter 3

-1**Okay, again, I apologise for the lateness of this chapter! I'd just like to say thanks to all those who reviewed last chapter (believe it or not they do help). Hope you like this chapter**

**Disclaimer: these things are a pain. The clue is in the 'dis'.**

**BPOV**

I was back in Forks hospital to get my stitches out. It was already starting to feel familiar. There was a few bits of dried blood on top of the stitches which were annoying me, but I was too afraid that picking it might cause more bloodshed. A friendly looking nurse came in and after rubbing something on them gave a nice little smile before ruthlessly tugging them on my forehead, making me feel as though she thought she playing tug of war against a football team.

When she was done, she finished by giving another deceivingly gentle smile and patted my pale hand before trotting off to find a doctor to sign my notes. As I waited I drummed my fingers impatiently on the arm of the under stuffed chair they had pushed me into, trying to ignore the prickling feeling in my forehead. The curtain around the cubicle was suddenly yanked back to reveal a short girl with spiky hair, who could have stepped out from between the pages of a fashion magazine rather than between two ragged hospital curtains.

'I'm sorry, I'm looking for the nurse. The guy in the next cubicle is about to be sick,' she said matter-of-factly in a musical voice that seemed to go with her looks.

Weakly I explained where she'd dashed off to, trying all the time not to stare at the girl, who was even paler than me, which was no mean feat. Seemingly noticing my staring the girl smiled brightly at me to reveal an equally bright white set of perfect teeth. 'I'm Alice,' she said. 'And you must be Bella.'

'How did you know?' I asked, trying to remember if anyone had said my name other than after the half hour wait.

Alice merely shrugged. 'Saw your medical notes when the nurse went out.' She lightly walked over to my side with a gait more like dancing, and perched lightly on the chair opposite mine. Gesturing to my forehead, she asked casually, 'what did you do to your head?'

Blushing furiously I recounted the collision with the supermarket wall, which had her gasping for breath. 'I'm glad you found it funny! If you ask nicely maybe they'll let you have the CCTV footage,' I teased.

She suddenly looked thoughtful. 'Maybe I will…' I must've looked absolutely horrified because she instantly burst out laughing. 'Kidding! Kidding!'

'You better be,' I muttered under my breath but she seemed to hear as she giggled again.

'I haven't seen you around before… don't you go to Forks High school?' she asked raising her eyebrows.

'I'm just moving in, I start at Forks High next Monday, after I get used to the place and unpack,' I explained. She suddenly beamed at me as though this was great news, although it wasn't unlikely in a town this small that I'd be going there.

She clapped her little hands together and squealed excitedly. 'That's great! I'll see you there then! I have to go and find someone now, but I'll see you around. Bye Bella!' and as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished, only to have the sneaky conniving nurse take her place. I eyed her wearily as she came closer to inspect the skin for only a moment before letting me go free.

Shrugging into my black waterproof jacket I walked down the hallway, my boots squeaking slightly on the rubber flooring. Turning around a corner, I found myself in an empty corridor, away from all the bustling noise. Gratefully I made my way over to the set of double doors at the end only to find they were locked. Whirling round, I saw out the corner of my eye a dark figure flash out of view at the other end of the hall.

'Hello?' I called, feeling ridiculous for doing so. There came another dark blur, closer than before.

'Anybody there?' A tremor shook my voice, as my heart beat quicker, thudding in my chest. I placed one foot on the floor, transferring my weight, trying to make as little noise as possible. But the blur returned so fast, I felt as though it could have been a figment of my imagination. Terrified now, I took a step backwards only to slam into what felt like a stone wall. Screaming, I fell forwards into a heap on the floor as I saw another, much larger blur zoom towards me at impossible speed, silent all the while. Too petrified to do anything else, I rolled to the side just as a noise like two boulders colliding echoed down the hall around me. Burying my head in my arms, I flung myself as far as I could down the hall, away from where the sudden blurs had been heading, the crashing sounds continuing all the while.

For what felt like hours (but was probably only a few minutes), I lay with my head on my arms, splattered flat out on the ground waiting for the deafening noise to stop. When at last it did, I peeked my head up tentatively, afraid of what I might find. And what I found was nothing. Absolutely nothing. The corridor was as deserted as it had been when I'd first strolled down it.

Blinking in amazement I rejoined civilisation, each noise seeming harsh after the silence which had followed the crashing. Glancing around, I noticed an enormous teenager restraining a tall teenager. Feeling as though, I was being watched, I glanced back around the room, this time taking in the murderous glance the boy being restrained was shooting at me, his eyes as black as coal. Flinching under the harshness of his inexplicable gaze, I quickly turned towards the exit, signposted this time. I wasn't in any hurry to re-live the strange scene over again.

Finally outside, in the constantly pouring rain, I felt myself relax; just a tiny bit. Despite how often I visited hospitals I would never get used to them. The clouds that surrounded the area cast a gloomy light all around, making me shudder. Hopefully I would get through at least one visit in Forks without it ending in some freaky incident. I made my way over to the bus shelter to get a ride home and out of the rain, only to be caught on the arm by Alice.

'Hey again! Would you like a lift home?' she asked, smiling. Maybe it was just me, but her smile seemed a little false and not as wide as before.

'No, it's okay, I'll manage,' I assured her, determined not to inconvenience her.

'I insist!' and with more strength than I would have thought possible tugged on my arm, dragging me over to a black Mercedes.

For the whole journey I was pinned back in my seat, hardly daring to look out the window, much to Alice's amusement. The speed she was driving! I was stunned when she told she'd never even gotten caught once (though she was fast enough to give a police car competition). We passed the ten-minute drive talking quite easily about Forks; for a small town there was a lot to say for it. The stylish car was actually her dad's and she was just borrowing it, so any speed tickets would be addressed to him anyway. As she said this, a surprisingly devious smile lit up her face, before she froze in place, the engine idling in front of my house, barely visible through the torrents of rain.

'Alice?' I asked, waving my hand in front of her face. 'Anybody home?'

Snapping out of her daze, she gave her first 'proper' smile of the whole journey. 'Yes!' she laughed. 'You are! I was just remembering I have to pick up my brothers.'

I nodded, unclipping the seatbelt and stepping out into the waterfall, 'Okay then. See you on Monday!'

I waved her off before retreating into the safe dryness of the house.

**And there was chappie 3. Please review and let me know what you thought and what I can improve on!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the delay (again). Breaking Dawn was different from what I expected, but still great. Sounds weird but I don't think it seemed like twilight, maybe because fanfic writers had the same ideas. Hopefully the next chapter of this will be up sooner.**

'Bella!' called Charlie's voice up the stairs to where I was hunting for my old bag for school tomorrow.

'Yeah?' I answered back, my own voice muffled because of where it was (under the bed).

'Come downstairs, I have a surprise for you!' At these words my heart instantly sank. Surprises. Great, just great. Plastering on a smile whilst internally cringing and mentally preparing myself, I trudged down the carpeted stairs.

Charlie was fidgeting excitedly at the bottom. 'It's outside.'

Even better. A surprise outside, in the rain. Charlie grabbed my arm and led me to the front door, where he covered my eyes with his hand, after throwing the front door open. A few stumbles later we made it over to 'the spot'.

'Ta-dah!' Charlie cried, dramatically releasing my eyes from his hold. There was no danger of being dazzled by the sun, more likely the lack of it. What stood before was a large and probably ancient Chevy, with a bulbous cab with big fenders and chipped red paint. To my surprise, I absolutely fell in love with it on sight. It was the kind you saw at the road side after being in a collision with a mangled sports car but was perfectly fine itself.

Charlie was standing next to me shifting uncomfortably waiting for my reaction. 'What do you think?'

Turning around I smiled gratefully at him. 'Thanks Ch-Dad, I love it!'

Charlie turned a light pink, looking pretty pleased with himself. Neither Charlie or I were very comfortable talking about feelings or making unnecessary conversation, which was one of the reasons we were well suited to living together. In some ways it was a lot like having my own place since Charlie was often at work even on weekends, a habit built by years living on his own. And the gift also meant that I had plenty of money since I had been saving to buy a car myself, although I shuddered to think what kind of mileage the truck had. Plus I wouldn't have to face the decision of walking a couple of miles in the pouring rain or accepting a ride to school in the chief's cruiser which was bound to grab attention.

The rain at night was hard to sleep through, battering against the window, but I eventually managed to doze off, only to be woken again all too soon by the alarm clock to a dull grey overcast sky. It was suffocating to me, the clouds seemed to form a thick blanket too close to the earth to let anyone breathe. Nerves fluttered up in my stomach, as I snatched the keys to my 'new' old truck and prepared to drive it to the school which was easy enough to find.

After following the other students in their cars, which were as old mine as I was grateful to see, I parked my truck beneath a large tree. Just as I slammed the door shut, I noticed a small figure behind me. 'AH!'

'Relax, Bella! It's me!' Alice's familiar soprano voice chirped, as she let her hood fall down.

I gasped a sigh of relief as my heartbeat slowly returned to normal. 'How did you know I'd be here?'

Alice just shrugged. 'It wasn't exactly hard to spot that thing over here,' she said, slapping the side of the truck.

'Hey! Well, what did you arrive in? a limo?' I teased as we walked to the reception so I could collect my schedule.

Alice smirked. 'Not quite. We just came in that thing over there,' she pointed over to easily the best car in the parking lot; a shiny silver Volvo. 'It's my brother's, we all just hitch a ride together.'

I nodded, opening the door to the main building, which led to a room full of leafy green plants, as if there was a shortage of them outside. Alice studied the fliers pinned to the walls as I went up to the red-headed women behind the desk. All it took was to say my name for her to make the leap to the 'new girl'. She handed over the timetable and map, explaining the best routes to each class and gave me a slip for each teacher to sign. I just hoped they wouldn't ask me to introduce myself in any of the classes. Scanning through the schedule I noticed I had gym last since it was mandatory here for all four years as opposed to two back in Phoenix. Another black mark for Forks.

'You know where you're going first?' Alice asked, peering over my shoulder so silently I hadn't even noticed her.

I nodded again. All the buildings here were clearly marked with large black numbers on their sides so it shouldn't be too hard to find English which I had with a Mr Mason. He didn't make me introduce myself, as I had feared. Only one teacher did, who I would have disliked anyway simply because he taught trig. I had blushed my own patented shade of deep red before tripping on my way back to the safety of my seat.

In every class I had people staring curiously at me, only a couple bold enough to talk to me. Somehow they always managed to find a way of sending me a few nosy glances, despite my best attempts to avoid them by sitting in the back row. The same girl who sat next to me in Trig sat with me in Spanish , chattering away so it wasn't too necessary for me to attempt to make conversation myself. On our way to the queue at lunch a classic chess-geek nerd waved to me, Eric, who'd spoken to me after English. Jessica quickly steered me to her crowded table and since I hadn't spotted Alice I accepted.

She rattled off some introductions to a list of people so fast that I had no chance of remembering their names. They seemed impressed at her bravery in talking to me, the pale kid from the land of sun. As they chattered on about something, I noticed Alice sitting amongst a small group of people as equal to her in beauty, which was an extremely high standard. I had a strange feeling that I vaguely recognized the tall lanky bronze haired boy. On either side of her was a blonde, one an absolutely stunningly gorgeous female, the kind that made every other girls self esteem take a hit just by being in the same room as her, and on the other a muscular golden haired boy. There was also a massive boy, again in a brawny way, who looked old enough to be a teacher here rather than a student (as did the others) with dark hair. None of them seemed to be talking, instead they gazed off into opposite directions, not even touching the food they had sitting on trays in front of them.

'Who are they?' I asked Jessica in a low voice, even though there was no possible way they could have heard me from the opposite side of the room. She might have known from the tone of my voice who I meant because she looked straight at them before answering.

'They're the Cullens and Hales,' she replied. The bronze haired one looked up almost before she said this, as if in response. Seeing his look she giggled. 'They come from Alaska,' she continued under her breath.

'Have they been here long?' I asked, also under my breath and focusing on the table to avoid the would be models gaze.

'No,' she replied, rolling her eyes as if that should be obvious. 'They moved here a couple of years ago. Their adopted father works in the hospital.' Instantly I recalled the tired looking but handsome doctor who shared the same bruises under the eyes as the children. Noticing the bronze haired one staring at me looking frustrated, I asked Jessica who he was, in a quiet murmur.

'Oh, that's Edward,' she giggled again. 'Don't waste your time though, none of them date since they're all paired off.' Seeing my surprised face she quickly continued 'The two blondes are the Hale twins. Rosalie and Jasper. Rosalie goes out with Emmett, and Jasper with Alice, the small spiky haired girl. Apparently none of the girls here are pretty enough for Edward,' she sniffed. I muffled a laugh at her clear sign of sour grapes. Poor Jessica, I wondered idly how long she'd been holding the grudge.

Finally daring to lift me eyes from the table I was relieved to see that he was now looking away, unlike Alice who waved at me, earning herself a glare from Rosalie and looks of surprise from her other siblings.

Jessica also turned to me in shock. Which, quite frankly I found insulting. I can talk to people! She examined me curiously, making me blush. 'The Cullen's hardly ever take notice of anyone outside their social circle.'

I just shrugged and returned to eating my sandwich, seeing as Alice was now occupied with talking to her family.

After lunch Angela and I made our way to Biology II, where I introduced myself to the teacher who signed the slip without making me introduce myself to the class. There was only one unoccupied seat, next to one of Alice's brothers. I made my way over to it, taking in the sight of his murderously angry face that only seemed to grow more furious as I approached. I shrank nervously into my seat, letting my hair fall between us, to give me some peace. When Mr Banner announced that we had to work with our partners to identify the different stages of mitosis I instantly felt a feeling of dread, and turned slowly towards Edward. He seemed to be sitting as far away from me as possible and was still scowling but managed to speak long enough to tell me who he was.

'Hello, Bella. I'm Edward, one of Alice's brothers,' he said in a voice that sounded like velvet.

I could practically feel my jaw dropping, as I struggled for something to say. Thankfully the teacher placed the microscope and slides in front of us just then so I was able to grab it and confidently assess it. Edward only looked after me, and was as careful not to make contact as if he thought I had some contagious disease.

When the bell finally rang he was outta there like a shot. A blond haired guy came up behind, introducing himself as Mike and walked to the gym, where I was grateful that I wasn't expected to participate. Afterwards I came out to find Alice walking by at the same time.

'Bella!' she beamed. 'How was your first day?'

'As good as first days get, I suppose.' I turned in the opposite direction to the car park but Alice stayed with me anyway, I had to hand in the slip.

When we entered the reception area, chatting about the teachers who were best avoided, we noticed Edward standing in the queue behind a girl who was explaining she was going on holiday for a week. He turned to face Alice, his nose wrinkled as though he smelt something disgusting. Nodding so minutely I could barely be sure he did, he turned and left the office. 'Sorry Bella, but I'd better go, I'll catch you tomorrow, yeah?' Alice asked, smiling with her face but with distracted eyes.

'Yeah, sure. Bye then,' I waved as she practically dances out the office, before handing over the pink slip.

Arriving home was a lot like having my own place, since Charlie was out. I had found out that Charlie couldn't cook anything beyond beans on toast, so we'd agreed that I was to prepare any meals. By the time he got home dinner was ready, much to his surprise. He seemed shocked that he was actually getting a decent meal which me wonder how he'd survived so long by himself. Afterwards I trooped upstairs to start the homework we'd been given. Sadly, it seemed like this was going to become a routine.

**Hope you liked it, it was almost twice the length of the last one! Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter: 28Twilight28, .All.The.Pretty.Corpses, PinkSlytherin and Crazily Sane Pancake.**


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